


Surfacing

by Infie



Series: Sojourn in the Void - Alternate Season 3.5 [4]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-05-10
Packaged: 2018-06-04 19:10:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6671629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Infie/pseuds/Infie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ra's al Ghul has a new assignment for his most recent protege.  Team Arrow discovers the identity of their opponent, and begins to gather allies in what is going to be a very unequal fight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Nyssa fought to keep her face expressionless as her father smiled approvingly at the man in front of them. 

“You have done well, my son.” 

Helwiya inclined his head at Ra’s’ words, acknowledging his fourth successful assignment in half as many weeks. 

She hissed softly through her teeth, bitterness stinging through her veins. As predicted, Helwiya continued to creep higher in her father’s regard. 

In her deepest mind she could admit that he was earning that place, but the rest of her remained flooded with acidic frustration. Her father had yearned for a son; had stolen her mother’s body and will to try and obtain one, had tried to sire one on countless women since before silently conceding that the Pit had ultimately taken his fertility with his sanity. 

With Helwiya his dream was revived. He was a natural assassin; fast, powerful, ruthless, and deadly. A son born of the womb of the Pit, just as Ra’s al Ghul had been born; a man without mercy or self-care. Not a son of his body; instead a son of his soul, or of the lack of it. ‘A son of his heart’ she might have said but she knew very well he had none just as Helwiya had none. 

The caustic thought floated through her mind, as it had done more and more often over the last weeks. Her father was pleased, that finally, he had what he most desired. 

_A worthy heir, at long last._

Her father made no attempt to conceal his designs. Already Helwiya sat second only to herself in his outward regard. She’d begun to see her father’s eye cast speculatively over them both, considering which weaknesses to exploit to force them to conclude this farce. 

This could only end badly. It was inevitable. Either Helwiya would die in this unnecessary contest, or she would. She had no wish for either result. Helwiya was competent and skilled, and as much as she loathed even the sight of him she would grieve his passing. All the more if her father forced it to happen at her own hands. As for her own death, she thought it unlikely that any still left in this world would be affected. 

Beloved Sara waited for her, beyond the veil. 

A deep well of longing broke through her. Perhaps she should make the challenge right now, end this ridiculous mockery. She lifted her eyes to meet her father’s expressionless gaze, and that desperation turned to rage. 

_No._

She would find the identity of the person who killed Sara, and she would obtain her vengeance. Only after that would she consider other paths, other goals. And, to achieve that, she must consider the challenge that stood most immediately before her. 

He stood at comfortable rest, feet planted and shoulders straight. As always since his ascension, one hand rested on his staff and the other on her curved knife in his belt. Weeks of food were finally beginning to return weight to his bones, his resumption of training translating that weight to pure muscle. He was beginning to look fit, and the aggression in his stance meant that he was once again in fighting form. She was going to have to be on her guard even more. That knife - _her knife_ was a reminder of his promise to return it to her in kind. 

Unlike him, the cursed blessing of Pit-enhanced healing did not run through her veins. If he caught her in the least unprepared, she would die. Badly. 

“I have an assignment for you, Helwiya.” 

Her father’s words brought her attention back to her surroundings with a wrench that was almost painful. Her gut twisted. They had no outstanding contracts, no assignments to give, except... 

“Father…” 

“I stand ready,” Helwiya broke in over her blurt of objection smoothly. “How may I serve the League?” 

He wasn’t ready. His true allegiance remained uncertain, his sanity even more so. He could be trusted - barely - to perform the minor assassinations her father had requested over the last weeks. 

At the look on her father’s face, she shut her mouth and ground her teeth. Ra’s shifted his attention back to Helwiya. “There is a League member who has broken the codes, many times over. He has crossed my will, shattered his oath, and refused to atone. You will find this traitor, and upon doing so will remove him from any future consideration.” 

Nyssa felt herself pale as her suspicion was confirmed. “You cannot be serious,” she whispered in disbelief. 

Ra’s shot her a quelling look. “Sarab will accompany you to Starling City,” he finished. “Our last information has him there. Be wary. The last League member who had this assignment was killed in the pursuit of it.” 

_Sara._

“Father! _You cannot be serious._ ” She burst out, making Helwiya flinch ever so slightly. The twitch gave her a little thrill of triumph that she promptly buried under her appalled shock. “You would send a barely ascended brother after Al Sahero? You would send _Al Helwiya_ to _Starling City_?” 

“You forget your place, daughter.” Ra’s snarled it at her. “Be still.” 

“I will not! Do you not see the dangers, father? Do you wish to lose such a talented member so early?” Was his goal Helwiya’s death, after all? Sarab’s? _Hers_ , when she inevitably defied him and interfered? 

Ra’s took one threatening step and towered over her as only he could. “You will provide the information that Helwiya requires. Should he fail, I will consider you to be at fault for not adequately preparing him. You will share in his disgrace.” 

Staring up at him, mute with shock and fury, she realized. Her father’s aim in this insane endeavour was much simpler than she’d considered. This wasn’t about punishing Merlyn or testing Helwiya, though she had no doubt that he would be pleased with a successful outcome. 

This was about punishing _her_. 

Sending Helwiya to Starling City was a pointed statement, about the perfection of his machinations and their results. He was telling her, with absolutely no ambiguity, that he believed he knew what she had been about, and that there was no hope. 

Oliver Queen was dead. 

Helwiya was League. 

And nothing, no one, and no _where_ would change that. 

Corollary: His decision was made. When Helwiya returned, there would be a new Heir. 

Abruptly she became aware of Helwiya’s eyes staring at her warily. He shifted, and she realized that she was shaking, her hand fisted white-knuckled around the hilt of her belt dagger. She closed her eyes and retrieved her hold on her temper, slowly peeling her fingers away until they hung once again by her side. 

“Very well,” she gritted through clenched teeth. “I will provide Helwiya what information I may.” There was no possibility of it being enough for him to operate comfortably in the city. Only the return of his memory would suffice to completely prepare him, and she had resigned herself that would not occur. Based on what she now knew of her father’s intentions, though, that was irrelevant. Helwiya did not need to be prepared for Starling City, because Helwiya was League and thus outside of worldly considerations. 

The fact that _Oliver Queen_ was one of the best known personages to ever grace the city’s streets, and the fact that Helwiya wore his face would not be a factor in her father’s deliberations. It wasn’t a part of making his point, and so he simply did not care. 

She turned her glare on Helwiya and he simply stared back at her. She found herself searching his eyes yet again, looking for anything at all that wasn’t that cursed void. She’d spoken more truthfully than she’d known, when she said his name was fitting. It sickened her every time and yet she couldn’t stop looking. She growled under her breath. 

Her father gave her a long look before giving a short nod of satisfaction at her acquiescence. 

“Come,” she finally stated curtly, nodding at Sarab as well. “Your preparation awaits.” 

She had limited time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helwiya is prepared for his assignment.

He had seen the way that Ra’s al Ghul watched them both, had recognized the ambition in his eyes for the hunger that it was, and the wariness in Nyssa’s for its nature as well. 

He didn’t care. 

He cared only for the hunt, and the kill. The kills that kept the aching void in his chest, in his _head_ , quiet and appeased. 

His fingers tightened around the hilt of the curved fighting knife in his belt, more familiar in his hand now than his own skin. A tiny frisson vibrated through him at the thought of facing Nyssa again, of finally having the opportunity to give her back her knife. 

Something stirred in the emptiness inside him, like a great beast turning over in its sleep, and he froze into absolute stillness, not even breathing as he waited for… He didn’t know for certain, but he knew he wouldn’t like it. 

The sensation subsided and he very carefully took a breath, letting it back out with a shudder. So far, the madness was kept at bay. But… it threatened. 

He tore his thoughts from it and returned to considering the now, instead. The assignment to kill Al Sahero was ideal. It gave him hope for a more worthy opponent than he had faced thus far, better preparation for the future than the pitifully untrained targets that he’d been given to date. 

Eventually Ra’s al Ghul’s machinations would come to fruition, and there would be the confrontation he truly desired. 

He knew that this burn was an echo of the Pit, that it held the seeds of irrationality. 

He didn’t care about that, either. He cared only that it was _coming_. 

He lifted his eyes to see her watching him as intently as ever. She had spared him no details in her review, clearly still stinging from her father’s rebuke and threat in her ears. He was as prepared as he could be within the limitations on the information available. Starling City was clarifying in his head with gratifying ease. 

“Helwiya.” Nyssa’s face tightened further as he met her gaze. “There are other things you must know, before you leave for Starling City.” 

Sarab nodded slowly. “When you’re there, you must stay out of sight.” He said it firmly, as though Helwiya might have had other plans. “Completely out of sight.” 

Nyssa stood abruptly in a swirl of silk and leather and paced behind Sarab’s chair with poorly contained frustration. She seemed to come to a decision, and turned to face him directly. “You asked me, when we first met, if I knew you,” she said. “And I told you that while you were a stranger to me, I once knew a man who wore the face you do.” 

He nodded slowly. 

“That man lived in Starling City, and he was very well known there. If you are seen, _by anyone_ , you will be recognized. If… when you confront Al Sahero, _he_ will recognize you. He and that man knew each other for many years.” Her eyes bore into his, her intensity unmistakable… and inexplicable. “Helwiya. Heed me in this. That man had many friends and even more enemies, and all are remarkably resourceful and determined. If you are seen, there will be events put into motion that will be outside of our control. These events must not occur. The ones that are already in motion are challenge enough.” 

“I understand, Wuaritha,” he told her evenly. 

“No, you don’t,” she replied through gritted teeth. “You cannot. Ultimately I do not care if you understand. I care only that you obey.” 

Sarab stood. “We will, Wuaritha.” 

She glared at them both for another fulminating moment and then strode out of the room. 

Helwiya glanced at Sarab to find him staring at him as searchingly as Nyssa ever had. “What?” 

Sarab frowned at him. “I too knew that man,” he finally said slowly. “Nyssa is correct. If you are seen...” He paused. “Are you not curious about him?” 

Helwiya stared at him. “No.” 

Sarab rubbed a hand over his mouth. “There are things you should know that I have been forbidden to discuss with you,” he finally said slowly. “I will not contravene my oath. Those things will remain unsaid.” 

Helwiya nodded and stood to leave. He didn’t care about information that Sarab wouldn’t give him; it was a waste of time that he didn’t need. He would study the maps of Starling City until he could navigate the roads and rooftops blindfolded if need be. He already had some ideas for Al Sahero’s hiding places. He was eager to begin. 

Sarab stopped him with a hand on his arm. 

“But we are about to enter that man’s home city, and you need to know…” he thought about it briefly, staring into the fire, and then shrugged. “You need to know how to tell if you’ve been glimpsed, if you’ve been compromised. If you are, the person who sees you will almost definitely call out by name.” His eyes lifted to Helwiya’s and their normally expressionless depths held a myriad of emotions, chief among them affection, and an old, muffled rage. “That man, whose face you wear.” Sarab took a deep breath, his voice strangely strained. “I knew him as... Oliver Queen.” 

Helwiya waited patiently as Sarab searched his face closely for any reaction, then pulled gently away when it became clear that he had nothing more to say. He noticed the flicker of disappointment in the other man’s eyes and discarded it, moving past him, hand on Nyssa’s knife. 

Eventually Sarab and Nyssa would understand. 

Oliver Queen meant nothing to him.


	3. Resources

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Arrow talks to ARGUS

“Thank you for seeing me,” Felicity said as she stepped through the doors of Amanda Waller’s office. The woman herself was standing at her usual icy attention. Roy stopped at the door and stood guard there, his eyes wide as he took in ARGUS’s headquarters.. Digg followed her in, stalwart at her shoulder. 

“My understanding was that I had little choice in the matter,” Amanda replied. Felicity really had no idea how she maintained that strict posture and the cold glare that could go from simple disdain to outright menace in an eyeblink, but she had to admire the other woman’s dedication to the theme. “Lyla Michaels tells me that you have information that you wish to discuss.” 

Felicity nodded and pulled her tablet from her bag. “I do.” She looked at Amanda evenly. “I want to start by saying that I found Oliver’s cache. I know what he was using for leverage with ARGUS.” 

Amanda’s eyes narrowed dangerously. 

“And I have made copies and contingencies,” Felicity finished hurriedly, feeling distinctly like she was about to be eaten by a lion. A small, slim, Louboutin-wearing lion. 

Amanda crossed her arms. “Well, Ms Smoak, that is an excellent way to get my attention.” She bared her teeth. “I can tell you that my attention is nothing to be desired.” 

“We don’t want your attention,” Felicity said immediately. “Well, we want your attention _right now_ , because we’re talking to you and that’s really the whole point of having a conversation, but we don’t want the kind of attention you’re talking about. That sounds like bad attention, and …” 

“And yet, Ms Smoak, you have it,” Amanda managed to convey both her irritation and her impatience without changing her tone. “I suggest that you make better use of it.” 

“... Right. That information, it isn’t why I’m here.” She shot John a glance over her shoulder and he nodded. “I don’t want to blackmail you, Amanda. We don’t need more enemies. We need allies, and I believe that we can help each other.” 

“Really. I hesitate to believe you.” Amanda’s eyes flickered past them to where Lyla waited on the other side of the glass, studiously not watching them talk. She sighed and shook her head. “But Lyla trusts you both, and that means something within ARGUS. What do you have to offer?” 

John stepped forward. “We’ve recently come across some information on the human trafficking ring that’s been snatching women and children out of Starling, Bludhaven, and Gotham,” he said. 

Amanda nodded evenly. “We are aware of it. As despicable as dealing in human life is, it’s not one of my concerns.” 

“Are weapons of mass destruction one of your concerns, Miss Waller?” John asked grimly, “Because we have information that the trafficking is a front for activities a lot bigger in scope than simple slavery. Activities too big to be anything else.” 

Amanda’s face hardened. “Continue.” 

“We have the master codes to one of their vaults. We have the transaction records relating to that vault going back two years. We have sole control over what has to be a large part of their monetary resources. Based on our analysis of the information so far, this organization is large and extensive, and is working on putting together a portfolio.” John shrugged. “Not sure the endgame yet, but absolutely none of what we’ve discovered so far is good news.” 

Felicity held out a flash drive that Amanda took from her with slim fingers that were surprisingly warm. “Here’s a summary of what we’ve found.” She waved her hand at the bank of monitors on Amanda’s desk. “Go ahead, take a look. We’ll wait.” 

Amanda shot her an irritated glare but plugged in the drive and quickly reviewed the information on the screen. “This is … interesting.” She lifted her head to raise an imperious eyebrow. Felicity wished she had that kind of cool composure. “I’m listening. What is your proposal, Ms Smoak?” 

“We want to work together. Specifically, we want permission to access ARGUS systems. And,” Felicity took a deep breath. “We need to increase our personal security, too. We want access to ARGUS personnel.” 

“Lyla is not available,” Amanda said immediately. 

“I was thinking more of,” Felicity shot a glance at John, who nodded again firmly, “Floyd Lawton.” 

The expression on Amanda’s face was absolutely priceless. “Mr Lawton.” She blinked and her usual blankness flowed back into place. “What does ARGUS get out of this arrangement?” 

“We share all information that we find on this organization,” Felicity replied promptly, “along with anything at all that we discover about the movement of these weapons so that ARGUS can interdict.” 

Amanda clasped her hands behind her back, considering. “Mr Lawton is a valuable resource.” 

“So are we.” Felicity gestured at John and Roy. “This group has identified us, and have already made threats.” She reached over and tapped Amanda’s screen to open another icon. “These two men came to the office. They said they identified me with the assistance of their ‘vendor’.” 

Amanda glanced at the faces impassively, but Felicity saw a flicker of recognition. 

“And,” Felicity finished when it appeared that she wasn’t going to say anything. “If they’re successful in killing us, all of those files I mentioned before, that we didn’t talk about? Those go public.” She gave Amanda a bright, empty smile. “I’d much rather have an ally than an enemy, but if that’s the only way, well. We’re ok with that.” John hid his mouth with his hand, but she saw a quick flash of teeth as he grinned. 

Amanda made a noise that sounded remarkably like a growl before twisting her lips into a bitter smile that looked more like a threat. “Allies it is.” She turned away and pointed to the screen, pointing out Baritone Voice. “This is Jerome Scott.” She shifted her finger to Oily Smile. “Oratzio Menzies.” She lifted her gaze to each of Felicity, John, and Roy in turn. “You’ve managed to get yourselves noticed by the Syndicate. Very impressive. Idiotic, but impressive.” She lifted her hand, and immediately Lyla broke off the discussion she’d been having outside and came in. She lifted her eyebrows when she saw the two men on the screen. 

“Scott and Menzies,” she shook her head. “Syndicate enforcers. Pretty high up, too.” 

John shot her a glance. 

“What? If you’d shown me this I could have told you that much.” She strode over to the screen and swept the photos onto the main monitor with a stroke of her finger. Another couple of taps and additional information scrolled below each photo. 

“The Syndicate is an organization with quite a chequered pedigree,” Amanda said coolly. “Made up of what we believe to be a group of top echelon representatives from a variety of organizations. Somewhat like a… united nations of criminal activity. This group was constructed specifically to facilitate the joint operations that the feeder organizations agreed on. Their ultimate goal is world domination, naturally.” 

“World domination?” Felicity frowned. 

“Sadly, she’s not joking. They’ve been active for well over twenty years, and in the last several years have seen some of their plans come to partial fruition. Their plans are intended to cause widespread destruction of specific areas, leading to enterprise-scale rebuilding efforts. This allows them to generate money both by selling the weapons that cause the destruction, and profiteering from the rebuilding efforts. They stand to make trillions.” Lyla typed rapidly, and more information began to scroll on the screen. “A biological attack five years ago in Hong Kong, an attempt to sell a weapon of mass destruction to Markovia, and…” She sighed. “The Undertaking, in Starling City.” 

“Son of a bitch,” Roy breathed. John cursed low under his breath. 

Felicity clenched her fingers tight. “The Undertaking was a Syndicate operation?” 

Amanda nodded. “A proof of concept. Funded by the legitimate fronts of several different criminal enterprises, including Queen Consolidated, Merlyn Global, the Triad, and peripherally the Bratva and Yakuza as well. The machine was intended for a much wider distribution, but the Starling City Vigilante’s intervention derailed that particular endeavour.” She tilted her head to John and Felicity. “We appreciated your assistance.” 

“Who else?” John demanded. “Who else is involved in this Syndicate?” 

“Everyone.” Amanda told him crisply. “Including who you really want to ask about.” 

Lyla frowned. “Johnny?” 

He turned his back and covered his mouth with his hand, shaking his head. 

“So. Syndicate.” Felicity said, fury burning in her chest. “Run by a group of multi-national capitalist egomaniacs looking to own the world.” She crossed her arms to keep from hitting something. “I think we just found our ‘Vendor’.” 

“Yes,” Amanda said with a grim smile. “Exactly. Malcolm Merlyn.”


	4. A New Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Arrow starts to form a new plan.

“Motherfucker,” Roy muttered, and hit the bag again. 

“You said it,” John agreed, twisting into his own punch just a little harder. Malcolm goddamned Merlyn. Again. He glanced over at Felicity, who was sitting in her chair, unmoving. He didn’t like seeing her so still. Roy followed his gaze and his face hardened more. 

“ _Motherfucker_.” 

John just grunted this time and threw himself back into punching the crap out of the heavy bag. It wasn’t that Merlyn pointing the Syndicate in their direction was a big surprise. They’d already been thinking that he was the most likely candidate for that particular piece of villainy. It was that there seemed to be no end to the reach the bastard still had, for all that he was supposedly dead. They’d just gotten rid of the last people who were willing to lay siege to the city to get to him; the last thing they were going to do was poke at that open wound. 

They couldn’t just kill him either, as much as he hated to admit it. Of all of them, Oliver had been the real cold-blooded killer, and even he had turned his back on death-dealing as the go-to move. For Thea, and for his own soul. 

Privately, John admitted that he’d be willing to take that stain to erase Malcolm Merlyn’s name from ever crossing their lips again. If he had a way to make that shot without it blowing back on all of them, he’d do it. Their lives would all be a damned sight simpler if Merlyn were really... 

“Dead.” Felicity jolted upright in her chair, spinning to face them. 

Roy startled and almost got knocked sideways by the swaying bag. “... What?” 

“Malcolm Merlyn. It’s how he’s getting away with all of this. He’s operating under the radar, in the shadows. Because he’s dead.” Felicity stood up and walked over to them, almost jerky in her haste. “What if he weren’t?” 

“He’s… not, though?” Roy frowned at her in confusion. 

“You want to go public with his survival.” John found himself nodding as he thought it through. “He would have… hundreds of charges against him. Thousands of charges.” 

“He would have a hell of a lot harder time hiding, especially once we provide Captain Lance with the proof that Malcolm killed Sara.” 

“What about Thea?” As always, Roy’s thoughts were immediately with her. 

Felicity bit her lip. “I can do some creative financing and make sure she’s got a solid base, but she’ll take a big hit. I would keep her involvement in Sara’s death out of it.” 

Roy frowned. “We’ll need to make sure she’s ok with this.” 

“We can’t let him hide and take shots at us from the shadows like this, Roy. I won’t let you or John die just to keep Thea comfortable. We don’t have a lot of options. It’s either this or we kill him outright.” There were lines of strain around her mouth but her voice was as firm as John had ever heard it. “And I don’t want us to become… that. Not unless we’ve exhausted everything else.” 

“It sounds like that’s my cue.” The drawled words came from the the stairs. All three of them jumped and turned to see Floyd Lawton at the top, with a chagrined Lyla beside him. 

“Sorry. I thought you guys heard the door.” 

“It’s fine, of course,” Felicity managed to smile in welcome. “We’re all in this together.” 

“In that case,” Lyla said, “you do have one other choice. You can hide. Leave Starling, get new identities, forget all about all of this. ARGUS has some skills in making people disappear, in the non-deadly sense. Though we’re damned good at that too.” She shrugged at the glare Roy gave her. “I’m not advocating it, just laying it out there. If you don’t want Malcolm in jail and you don’t want him dead, then the only other choice is to leave.” 

Roy scrubbed his hands through his hair and shook his head silently. 

Lyla smiled at him. “Then there you go,” she said gently. “It’s not so complicated, is it?” 

“So, I’m not here to kill someone? That does seem a shame.” Lawton sauntered down the steps as if he owned them. John fought the automatic stiffening of his shoulders, reminding himself that inviting the man had been his idea. If he needed to have someone other than himself or Roy protecting Felicity, he wanted that person to be the best. And, whatever else he might be, Floyd Lawton was still the best. 

“Master Sergeant Lawton,” Felicity held out her hand unhesitatingly, smiling at him openly. John watched as Lawton frowned in surprise. “We met very briefly, in Russia. I didn’t know you then, but I’ve had the opportunity to learn about you since.” He took her hand gingerly, as if expecting her to lunge at any moment. She slid her other hand over his to hold him in place, looking him straight in the eyes. “I wanted to say, thank you for your service, Master Sergeant.” 

Lawton froze and his eyes widened minutely before he flushed and pulled his hand away. “I haven’t been that man for a long time, ma’am,” he told her. 

Felicity simply gripped his forearm with a brief squeeze. “I know who you’ve been since,” she said just as directly. “What you’ve done. Some of those things are unforgiveable. But I wasn’t thanking you for that. And I meant it just the same.” She turned away, missing the stunned look on Lawton’s face as he stared after her. “Thank you for this, too.” 

Lawton saw John watching and blinked, straightening his shoulders and returning to his usual arrogant stance. “I wasn’t really given a choice in this assignment,” he started, and Felicity glanced at him over her shoulder, head tilted. “But you’re very welcome, ma’am,” he finished tentatively and she rewarded him with a wide smile. 

“Please call me Felicity.” 

To John’s astonishment, Lawton flushed again. “I’m Lawton, ma’... Felicity.” 

She nodded and turned back to the computer array, Lyla at her shoulder as they started to discuss the practicalities of going public with Merlyn’s survival. 

Lawton edged his way warily over to John. He tilted his head, questioningly. “Felicity Smoak,” John said. “Your assignment.” 

Lawton stepped back and shook his head. “Not a chance,” he said. “Not for any money am I killing that girl.” 

“Protection, Deadshot. She’s yours to protect.” Was Lawton seriously that insane, that he thought they’d bring him here to kill _Felicity_? 

Lawton nodded, relief written all over him. “Well, all right then.” He glanced at the look John was giving him and shook his head sadly. “You really don’t know Amanda Waller at all, do you John?” His mouth twisted bitterly. “Sending me on an assignment like that wouldn’t even be in the top ten worst things she’s gotten me to do. Her ‘supplying’ me to you guys only makes sense if you’ve got something on her. How well do you think Ms Amanda Waller takes those kinds of threats?” 

John just looked at him impassively, ignoring the ice in his stomach. 

Lawton nodded anyway. “That’s just about right. Luckily, you got _me_. And protection for her? That’s something I’m ok with.” 

John eyed him. “Master Sergeant?” 

“That was a long time and a thousand mistakes ago, John,” Lawton said, a faraway look in his eye. “I haven’t been that man for longer than I can remember.” 

John hummed a little. “I think you remember better than you admit.” 

Something flashed across Lawton’s face. “Your brother’s name on my chest says different.” 

Without another word, John turned away and went back to punching the bag, imagining Lawton’s face under his fists. 

He might need the guy, but damned if he’d like it. 

“So even if we tell the world Merlyn is alive, and even if Laurel gets all those charges placed against him, you do realize we still have a problem, right?” Roy punched the heavy bag hard enough to make it sway. “A pretty big problem?” 

John nodded. “Malcolm Merlyn isn’t exactly the kind of guy who lets himself get captured without a fight,” he agreed, “or at least not for very long. There’s no way the police would be able to bring him in.” He looked at each of them in turn and then shook his head. “And we can’t take him either. Not without a lethal intervention, that’s for sure.” 

“You’re right.” Lyla said, turning to face them. Felicity nodded at her side.. “We’re going to need a plan.” 

John stepped back and started unwinding the tape from his hands. The workout wasn’t helping him actually de-stress at all, and the exercise along with this discussion was just amping him up even more. “We need more than just a plan,” he said through gritted teeth. “We’re going to need more help.”

**Author's Note:**

> Word / Name key
> 
> Helwiya - Abyss  
> Sahero - Magician  
> Wuaritha - Heir (feminine) 
> 
> Note: I am aware that most folks spell Magician "Saher" but if you listen to a native pronounciation there's a distinct 'o' sound to the end of the word, so since there is no actual firm phonetic / arabic translation dictionary, I'm going with what I hear.


End file.
